Guayaquil

Getting Here & Around

Guayaquil's Aeropuerto Internacional José Joaquín de Olmedo (GYE), new in 2007, is 7 km (4 mi) north of the city center; taxis to downtown cost about $5. From Guayaquil, Tame flies to Quito, Cuenca, Manta, Loja, and Machala, as well as to the Galápagos islands of Baltra and San Cristóbal. AeroGal flies from Guayaquil to Quito, Baltra, and San Cristóbal. Ícaro connects Guayaquil with Quito and Cuenca and Manta with Quito. Internationally, American flies from Miami; Continental, from Houston; Delta from Atlanta; LanEcuador, from Miami, Lima, and Santiago; KLM, from Amsterdam; Iberia and Air Comet, from Madrid; TACA Peru, from Lima; Avianca, from Bogotá; Santa Bárbara Airlines, from Caracas.

Guayaquil is 10 hours by bus from Quito and around 5 hours from Cuenca. The city's main bus station, Terminal Terrestre, is near the airport. Buses ply the coast to various towns all the way to Bahía de Caráquez. The shortest route to Bahía de Caráquez is from Guayaquil, skipping Salinas, going directly northwest up the coast.

Taxis throughout Guayaquil are inexpensive. The average trip should cost $3. Most do not use meters, so be prepared to haggle. Guayaquil's Metrovía, an urban electric trolley-bus system modeled on Quito's Trole, travels north and south, near the Guayas River, with stops at fixed stations. It diverges into two branches that pass through downtown, then rejoin on the other side of the city center.

Guayaquil's branch of iTur is open weekdays 8:30-5, and has a few maps and brochures, but little else. A better bet is the friendly Oficina de Información Turística at the entrance to the Nahím Isaís Museum, open Tuesday-Saturday 10-5.